As Yolanda Cervantes crossed the threshold into Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, her eyes filled with tears and emotion overcame her. While millions of people complete the Lady of Guadalupe Pilgrimage each year, Cervantes was no ordinary pilgrim.
For six years, Cervantes endured a series of illnesses and complications that ravaged her body but never broke her spirit. Emerging from it all in 2025, she set the audacious goal of completing the pilgrimage, a walk of more than 200 miles. Few believed it was possible. But with determination, hard work and the help of a caring team, she realized her dream this past August.
The pilgrimage itself and the road to get there tested Cervantes, but her faith never wavered. Through physical and emotional pain, sweltering heat and steep inclines, she persevered.
“I said I would not let go of God’s hand,” she says. “When I felt tired or in pain, I offered it all to God.”
Two Cancers and 17 Surgeries
Cervantes, a Wautoma resident, received her first breast cancer diagnosis in 2019. She underwent surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Later, complications led to more health problems, including a collapsed lung.
“I grew weaker and weaker and then finally returned to the hospital,” she says. “I was then diagnosed with a blood clot in my lung. I was so weak at that time I could not even perform my activities of daily living without assistance.”
Cervantes’ health care team told her that only 5% of people have their breast cancer return, but she found herself in that small group. In total, Cervantes underwent 17 surgeries for the cancer and subsequent infections. The surgeries included a double mastectomy and removal of her ovaries and uterus.
Pain and Perseverance
Through all her trials, Cervantes tried to remain strong while still working and taking care of her family, which includes her husband, Guadalupe, and three adult sons: Erick, Alexander and Jonathan. In turn, they were there for her.
“My loved ones helped me through the surgeries, COVID-19, flu, infections, allergies, depression, anemia, blood transfusions, chemotherapy and radiation,” she says.
Even with the support of many and her faith in God, Cervantes often felt overwhelmed with emotional and physical pain. Many days, all she could do was cry.
After years of setbacks and suffering, Cervantes received the news she’d been hoping and praying for: She was cancer-free.
“It was not easy, but God was giving me another opportunity,” Cervantes says. “I take it as a miracle.”
A Goal is Born
With the pain Cervantes felt throughout her illness, sleep was often difficult. One fitful night in early 2025, a wish overtook her: She wanted to do the Lady of Guadalupe pilgrimage.
“I had wanted to do the pilgrimage since I was little,” Cervantes says. “I wanted to arrive walking and put my intentions into the Virgin’s hands.”
The germ of an idea grew into a goal she began to work toward. To get started, she turned to help from the team at ThedaCare Physical Therapy-Wautoma.
Stacy Budde, the Physical Therapist who did Cervantes’ initial evaluation and oversaw her therapy, says Cervantes first came into the clinic in April 2025 with many issues. The desire to do the pilgrimage had led her through the doors, but Budde knew much work lay ahead.
“She did tell us she wanted to do this walk, but honestly it wasn’t even on my radar for the first visit because we had so many other things to work on first,” says Budde, who also provides physical therapy in Berlin and Ripon.
That initial work largely focused on improving Cervantes’ flexibility so she could start to do activities of daily living. Through her illnesses and treatments, Cervantes’ body had become rigid, leading to pain.
“One of the first things I noticed when she came in was how tight she was,” Budde says.
Early goals included walking up and down stairs and working on the ability to tolerate standing and walking for longer periods of time.
Strength and Stamina
After Budde created the treatment plan, Physical Therapist Assistant Jessica Braun worked to implement it with Cervantes.
“When I first met Yolanda, she always came in with a smile on her face,” recalls Braun, who treats people in the Wautoma and Wild Rose physical therapy clinics. “It’s always a good day when you can see a patient and they greet you with a smile.”
Braun began to work with Cervantes on stretching exercises to decrease her pain. Strength training followed and then walking, as well as a home exercise program.
“You can’t continue to get better if you don’t continue to do the work. She’s definitely somebody who put in the time and the effort to getting better,” Braun says of Cervantes.
Five minutes on the treadmill at the beginning progressed to walking for an hour with ease by the time Budde and Braun discharged Cervantes.
“The last time I saw her and she told me how much she was able to walk, I knew she was going to be able to reach her ultimate goal of walking,” Budde says.
Walk of a Lifetime
The Lady of Guadalupe Pilgrimage took place in August 2025. Though Cervantes had put in the work to reach her goal, the task that lay before was not easy.
Throughout the course of the eight-day walk, the group would log more than 200 miles. They walked day and night, and the longest day called for a 33-mile trek. The high-elevation pilgrimage brought steep inclines and temperatures that exceeded 100 degrees.
“The tiredness and pain of long walks were heavy,” Cervantes says. “Sometimes while walking on the asphalt, the sun was very hot. We walked downhill, uphill, over stones and on sand. Once, we climbed a mountain. It was hard to breathe.”
Amidst the challenges, Cervantes says the walk was beautiful and joyous and included singing, dancing and praise. Cervantes also supported her fellow pilgrims through techniques she’d learned in physical therapy.
“Every time we rested, I had the opportunity to lie on the floor and do my stretches,” she says. “I taught my companions suffering from cramps to do the same.”
Realizing a Dream
After years of trials, months of training and days of walking, Cervantes had finally reached her goal.
“The best part is arriving before the Virgin of Tepeyac, knowing you arrived walking before her,” she says. “And a miracle happened: My husband and my youngest son were waiting for me. When I arrived, they had a sign welcoming me. Then my other children surprised me — they brought food, and we all ate together. It’s a moment I will never forget.”
Today, Cervantes says she’s grateful for her family and for the gift of life. She enjoys the shaded area her husband built for her plants. She wants to learn to play the guitar and volunteer more at church. And soon she will welcome her first grandchild.
Cervantes also says she’s thankful for the therapy team who helped her achieve her goal.
“I was so proud, and I was only able to reach this goal because of the staff at ThedaCare Wautoma PT,” she says. “I will be forever grateful for their knowledge, encouragement, listening, and for pushing me to be my best.”
The ThedaCare Therapy Services team is here to help people keep living their unique, best life.
To schedule, log in to MyThedaCare and select Schedule an Appointment, Specialty Providers.
